The Jaguars Will Face the Patriots in the AFC Championship, and the Internet Cannot Believe It

The Jaguars’ unlikely victory over the Steelers Sunday, which will keep Pittsburgh from facing the Patriots in the AFC Championship, was a sight to behold.

It was a great night for Jaguars’ fans, who overcame long odds, and an awful one for the Steelers. For those tuning in without any allegiances, it was simply surreal.

Now, the assumption, of course, is that the Patriots will crush the Jaguars like bugs on their way to the big game. “The Patriots know it. The Jaguars, God bless ’em, they know it, too,” writes the Globe‘s Dan Shaughnessy. “Everybody knows it.”

But the gnarliest, most ruthless own was the work of none other than the Jags themselves. In response to Steelers safety Mike Mitchell’s comments before the game that his team could beat the Pats in “Hell,” “Haiti,” or “New England,” the team hit them with this:

“Mr. Kraft, get at me about the Super Bowl after party like we always do,” a dejected Snoop said into a camera. “If these motherfuckers can’t get it done, I guess I’ll go get that money from the Patriots again.”

Further from Foxborough the situation for Sunday’s game is seen as as way less of a sure bet. There is even, if you can believe it, a contingent out there who believe the Pats/Jaguars matchup is bad for New England.

People acting like the Patriots are happy about this are nuts. Jaguars would be a big, big problem for New England.

Stat from last week that’s still relevant: Patriots are now 14-0 in the playoffs under Brady/Belichick when facing a team they didn’t play in the regular season. Pats and Jaguars haven’t played since 2015.

According to @bookmaker_eu, Patriots are 10-1 in their history against Jacksonville. The Jaguars have never won at Foxboro (0-7). The last six meetings between these teams at New England have ended in double-digit Patriots wins with an average margin of victory of 21.0 points.